Stefan Schmitz on rural youth employment
440 mio young people will enter the labour market by 2030 in Africa, the majority of them from rural areas. Rural areas are already vulnerable to food insecurity, to climate change impacts and high levels of unemployment, so the population growth will put additional pressure on the economic development and resource management in the continent. So the GIZ project "Rural development", used the opportunity of the Global Landscapes in Bonn to talk to Stefan Schmitz, the Commissioner of the "One World-No Hunger" - Initiative about the rural youth employment opportunities.
Commitment and priorities
These dynamics cannot be ignored, but rather addressed proactively. G20 under the German presidency launched the rural youth employment initiative, which shows the broad agreement on the issue. BMZ is now seeing youth employment as a crosscutting issue that should be addressed in all agriculture, rural development and food security programs. Investments in these sectors will offer the biggest opportunities for job creation, and thus create the greatest return and benefit.
However, the aspirations of young people are not necessarily linked to the rural areas. The process of urbanization is ongoing and will strengthen in the future. So one of the biggest challenges will be to make rural areas more attractive by exploring the linkages to urban and peri-urban areas. Technology and communications, as well as lower transportation costs can transfer the advantages of the cities to the rural areas and connect them better culturally and politically.
This year's Annual General Assembly of the Global Donor Platform for Rural Development will focus on the challenges and opportunities for rural youth. With the ongoing process of transformation in many of the developing countries and the growing number of population overall and in the cities, job opportunities in rural areas will become even more important. The members and partners of the Platform will gather in Berlin in June for a two day event to discuss policies and strategies, exchange knoweldge and explore gaps.